William Barr's bombshell about Trump is more revealing than it seems

[Nevilledog]

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Greg Sargent
@ThePlumLineGS
The real news in William Barr's interview with Jon Karl is that Barr admitted he greenlighted election fraud investigations despite already concluding there was zero basis for them. That opens the door for a Congressional probe of that decision. New piece:

Opinion | William Barr’s bombshell about Trump is more revealing than it seems
Barr's latest admission about Trump's effort to overturn the election blows back on him.
washingtonpost.com
7:02 AM · Jun 28, 2021

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/28/barr-trump-election-fraud-atlantic/

Having gone to extraordinary lengths to help Donald Trump corrupt the presidency, William P. Barr is working overtime to launder his post-Trump reputation. But the former attorney general’s latest cleanup exercise may end up showing that the stain of his corruption is even darker than we thought — in a way that soils other Republicans as well.

Barr has offered fresh details about Trump’s effort to subvert the election to journalist Jonathan Karl. These are supposed to be exonerating. But they open up new lines of inquiry about the post-election conduct of Barr himself, and show that the machinations of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are more depraved than we knew.

Barr’s main revelation concerns his break with Trump on Dec. 1, when Barr publicly declared that the Justice Department had not seen election fraud “on a scale” that would have changed the outcome. This enraged Trump.

Several weeks before, in early November, Barr had taken the extraordinary step of authorizing U.S. attorneys to open election fraud investigations. The move attracted scalding criticism — the department had long refrained from such investigations until results are certified, to avoid this very sort of politicization.

*snip*

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Fascinating. I look forward to hearing more about this, from Barr. n/t

[empedocles]

27. Agreed. Snap judgements below aside; there may be a lot more going on here.

[ScratchCat]

2. They didn't actually "open" any investigations though

All they did was announce that they would accept information and complaints and whatnot and authorize such investigations, but they didn't actually open investigations past an initial cursory view because there was nothing to investigate.

There is nothing inconsistent about what Barr said in November, December, January and now. This author is trying to make a story that isn't there.

[jaxexpat]

4. Thank you, ScratchCat. These breathlessly promising headlines which deliver nothing.....

serve NO good purpose. They do, however, contribute to our collective cynicism, a commodity for which we have, already, adequate stock.

[uponit7771]

9. Yep, looks like Barr is on an image rehab tour

[Probatim]

10. He wants to remain a viable cog in the push for the tyranny of the minority.

[Siwsan]

3. I'm going to guess it was the only way to get TFG to STFU

[Blue Owl]

5. Hey tRump, orange you glad that Billy's B's been flapping those loose lips lately?

[malaise]

6. Barr belongs in prison

for the Mueller lies and now this

[LymphocyteLover]

8. Yup! 100%

[uponit7771]

11. +1, I'd put money on it he obstructed MULTIPLE investigations into Putin's Whore and his homies

[malaise]

13. Agree

[LymphocyteLover]

7. Sounds criminal to me-- would be a nice win for accountability if Barr were sent to jail

[kentuck]

12. He should be the first witness called by the Select Committee.

They should smoke his sorry ass.

[Stuart G]

16. The Committee will destroy Mr. Barr

Mr. Trump and Mr. Barr have gone too far......................

[kentuck]

17. That could be "pay-per-view"..

I am reminded of how Barr stumbled over his tongue while being questioned by VP Kamala Harris, when she was a Senator.

[Stuart G]

14. What Barr knows...Trump goes...., Barr Sails, & Trump goes to Jail...

Well, I tried !!!..... .... .... .....................................................

Just 1 more sentence:, Donald Trump doesn't have a clue, and that is according to Stu..... .... ...

[rickyhall]

15. I'm bored, when they gonna prosecute the bastids?

[LiberalLovinLug]

18. "History is written by the winners"

that 's right Bill.
With his little smirk. That's why I have no doubt Barr was set for Trump "winning" in 2020. He had done a lot himself to make that happen including snuffing the Muller Report. And he'd have another 4 years to complete the dismantling of all other federal institutions that would have oversight. Limit press freedom etc...

I think only when the election went sideways,...or rather didn't.....he thought he'd cut his losses, and go on this reputation rehabilitation tour.

[lunatica]

19. He must have known he'd gone too far.

Barr really never struck me as stupid. Just arrogant to the nth degree.

Maybe that’s the Trump effect on intelligent people who are shopping around to sell their souls. Trump is always buying.

[FakeNoose]

22. Yes on all counts

I have no doubt that Barr has been in touch with - and taking orders from - the dark money folks who have been engineering the RW coup for the last 40 years. If anything Barr talks to them more than Chump ever did. Barr knows that Chump is/was a tool.

The RW libertarians are a scourge on this country. We thought they were dying off, but now it seems like a whole new generation has sprung up to take their place.

[LiberalLovinLug]

24. I remember as a teen, just becoming politically aware

Too young, and also too embedded with my strict religious family to ever be involved or even understand the sixties protests when they were happening. But as I grew into adulthood in the seventies, I became educated as to what those protest songs were actually about, and how pertinent they were still. (And still).

And at the time, I remember dreaming of a future when all those in my generation, along with all those "radical" anti war, anti racism, anti women's rights deniers, from 10 years before me, would all grow up into adulthood, and that after that woke generation took over, replaced the aging old bigoted farts in positions of power, when the hippies were finally in charge, we'd have substantial revolutionary change.

Instead the Right mobilized. No doubt using a lot of dark money to fund smear campaigns, demonization of leftist organizations. And then buying up all news media, especially radio, that they could. To further spread their disinformation. Promoting home schooling. Keeping a whole swath of Americans with distorted and false information about their own country in order for those liberal attitudes from the sixties didn't "infect" the next generation.

And it worked very well. Unfortunately. A whole new generation is growing up worshipping Hate rather than Love, the message of the sixties.

[FakeNoose]

25. Yes I share your sadness

We baby boomers were successful in bringing the "peace" message to the country.

However it angered people (very rich ones!) and cut into their profits, and that's why they've arranged for this right-wing coup. I don't know the answer to this because I'm too old to start over.

[bucolic_frolic]

20. So Barr saw no collusion in the Mueller Report but saw election fraud where there was none?

It doesn't get much more biased than that.

[ScratchCat]

21. No, Barr saw NO election fraud

And he has said that the entire time.

You can't declare "there was no election fraud" without actually investigating claims!! It is the job of DOJ to investigate claims if they are made. They looked at whatever(if anything) that was submitted, concluded there was nothing legitimate there and moved on. He's been clear about this since November. The problem is, people took his announcement about potential investigations(that Trump insisted he make) and assumed it meant they were opening investigations. But they didn't. It seems like they probably "rolled their eyes" at most of the stuff and just told Trump, "yeh, yeh, we are looking into it". Trump wanted Barr to go further publicly, and he wouldn't.

[bucolic_frolic]

23. Many of the 50 most relevant states said there was no fraud

Voting being a states' issue, that is usually good enough. Not a lot of reason to look further.

[JCMach1]

26. Shouldn't this cost him his law license?

asking for a friend...